Full Breakdown
Anthony Williams’ trial over the Huntingdon train stabbing spree
By Drooid · · How we work
In this breakdown
01
The alleged attacks and charges
Prosecutors allege that Anthony Williams, 33, carried out a series of knife assaults over the Halloween weekend. The indictment lists ten alleged victims on a London-bound LNER service that stopped at Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, additional assaults on three people in Peterborough on 31 October and a 17-year-old boy at Pontoon Dock DLR station in London in the early hours of 1 November. Williams has entered pleas of not guilty to 14 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of a bladed article.
02
Timeline of the alleged events
- 31 October – Three assaults in Peterborough, including a 14-year-old boy on a footbridge near Henry Penn Walk.
- 1 November – Knife attack on the LNER train between Peterborough and Huntingdon, during which ten passengers and one crew member were stabbed.
- Early hours of 1 November – Stabbing of a 17-year-old boy at Pontoon Dock DLR station, London.
Visual evidence
Images from the story
03
Victims and injuries
- Ten passengers and crew member Samir Zitouni were stabbed on the train; injuries ranged from superficial cuts to a punctured lung (victim Sachin Balakrishnan).
- In Peterborough, a 14-year-old boy and two men were stabbed.
- The DLR victim, Isaiah Idris, received facial and hand wounds.
04
Official statements & responses
Authorities highlighted the “extraordinary bravery” of passengers who intervened, including a rail worker who used a frying pan and a passenger who brandished a toaster.
05
On-the-ground reports
- Stephen Crean, a Nottingham Forest fan, locked himself in a toilet and later tried to wrestle the knife from Williams, reporting that the attacker asked, “Do you want to die?”
- Scott Green attempted to grab the knife when his dog Poppy barked, prompting Williams to flee the aisle.
- David Presland, 73, fell while fleeing and was stabbed on the floor, later saying he believed he was going to die.
- Scott Bletcher, seated by a window, hid in a bike rack and called emergency services, later stating he felt “incredibly tired” and feared for his life.
06
Data & statistics
- 14 alleged victims across three locations.
- 10 stabbed on the train within a five-minute window.
- Injuries included a punctured lung, multiple stab wounds to the head, chest, back, arms and legs, and one victim requiring emergency care for severe blood loss.
07
Conflicting reports & gaps
Sources differ on the exact number of victims named on the train, and no definitive medical outcomes are available for each victim.
08
Verbatim quotes
- “At that stage, Mr Bletcher will explain he felt incredibly tired, was struggling to keep his eyes open and recalls saying, ‘I don’t think I’m going to make it’.” — Christopher Paxton, prosecutor
- “In this storm of violence, and even when gripped by fear, many there on that train helped others and, as we will see, some stood tall, quite literally against the defendant's violent onslaught.” — Christopher Paxton, prosecutor
09
What’s next
The trial continues at Cambridge Crown Court, with further testimony expected on the defendant’s alleged motives and the extent of the injuries sustained. The court has not set a sentencing date, pending the jury’s verdict on the 14 counts of attempted murder.